Underneath the Castle
by JakeRp Lane
Summary: Chapter 5, Prisoner Status: This was how the Military Police found them, no one able to move, with a dead person in a pool of blood, and no trace of who the real murderer was, but of course, he knew the truth. (So, this is what killing someone feels like), he thought as he looked into apathetic expressions with guns raised in their direction.
1. Chapter 1

_In the underground slums, there were darker activities than I could ever imagine. Surrounded by the rich areas where many mansions were built, I lived with my family. I am not sure why I am writing about this now, but maybe it is because I met him on the day that my life started to change._

* * *

"Hey..." It was a sudden start to the normally conversational one in their travels. They walked down a rather long path from the garden to the fountain. Eishi spent most of that time before that in the background inside, watching noble kids dance and socialize. Many joked that he was their new wallflower for every party that was held, but he didn't seem to mind. He stared first at the fountain with slight ripples that formed due to the statue spouting water. It was the only thing disturbing a simple reflection of the stars above the sky. He then reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his brother. He figured that if there wasn't a better time to ask other than now, he would never get the nerve to confront him later.

Jake had been tired of being surrounded by others at the party. He had left on his own but he didn't seem to mind that he was being followed.

"Where do you go at night?" Eishi asked.

He was watched with an expression that he could not identify at that moment. "Does it really matter?"

Eishi was frustrated by then. "It does. You show up back home and you don't say a thing to me, but I can tell that you haven't slept because you haven't been in your room since I checked on your birthday. Do you know how dangerous it is to go out alone at that time?"

Jake smirked by then, standing still next to the fountain, as if he knew better, and that bugged him because it was a secret that he couldn't get to. A big one. "The military police will protect us," he stated. "They know better than to disobey father. They are probably watching us right now."

"That's beside the point! They can't be around all the time and I know you, Jake. You don't like them watching over us any more than I do and you wouldn't just stand out there if you weren't sure that they couldn't see. Do you think that there are many places that we can go and they don't?"

He seemed about ready to respond when a girl from the party indoors called out to him. Jake avoided him for a pretty long time next week. That was when Eishi had enough of waiting around indoors at night.

* * *

He did not know what he was doing but he was dressed for the worst case scenario, with a winter coat and a scarf over his body, but still light enough for travel. He tried to dress simple enough, with pants that didn't stand out much. Noble clothing was a good chance for targeting and they usually travelled around in carriages for this reason. His brother was off in the distance, and he tracked him until they found a path to somewhere underground. It was an entrance to the underground slums, between a dirty set of buildings where homeless people would sometimes sit outside as they begged for coins. His gaze widened and he tightened the scarf over his face before he ran forth, almost into filthy water at the end of the steps.

His brother's steps could not be far off. He followed the sound of footsteps, walking past horrific scenes of dead bodies piled up in the corner, long rotted away and nothing but skulls staring hollowly out at him with it's shadowed gazes. Rats scurried to the side as his own footsteps echoed along but he finally entered upon a path that was not accompanied by the water. It was a crowd of people, all dressed in rag like clothes, the material ripped in places. He walked past them still, worried that he had lost his brother for good. Past near the entrance of the streets where people huddled alongside it, trying to sleep were what looked like thieves. This crowd was filled with burly looking men, all strolling or standing in their own groups and generally more confident, but even further than that seemed to be underground buildings and what resembled a city street. He heard two of the men talking to each other, as he skirted himself behind a wall.

"That kid is hard as fuck to take down. You wouldn't think one of those pigs knew where to hide and run in a place like this."

The other man seemed just as grumpy. "Still a bastard if I've ever seen one. He doesn't belong here and already stabbed Gerick. What is this! Some kind of hunting game?"

"We'll get him back for this."

* * *

He didn't stick around to hear the rest, simply stumbling back from his listening position. His brother couldn't be far off, but he was a little dazed now. _What's going on, are they talking about him?_ A chilly breeze whipped around the underground slums, and Eishi pulled his scarf closer to his face. _I don't believe it. Why would he do something like that?_

He stumbled into what looked like a group of kids huddled around on the ground. The inner city area didn't seem any more welcoming, with the way they looked. He ducked his head and walked past them, trying not to look at the poverty that existed around this area, but it wasn't long before he was lost. He was deeply heading the wrong direction, feeling somewhat upset, wondering if he could have possibly been able to figure out sooner, and why such a thing would be hidden from him. The possible thought of it being that his brother could be killing someone seemed to sink in before he almost stumbled into a person nearby. It was a teenager, around his age, wearing a hooded cloak. He stared at him, and saw that the other's expression was particularly moody as he walked past him, so he watched them warily, distracted enough to bump into someone.

It was a big burly man, who had seemed intent on intercepting their path. "Hey kid," he said, and the boy glanced around just to see that he was suddenly surrounded. "That hurt. Aren't you going to apologize or something?"

He said nothing for the moment, eyes wide and frozen, before instinct hit him and he attempted to run for it, darting past the nearest man and towards what looked like an empty alleyway. Unfortunately, he was grabbed by the scarf and it fell off.

Eishi was average height for a kid of seventeen, around 5'4". When his family had adopted him to replace a dead sister, he had thought nothing of it, until he heard whispers from the relatives that he looked like a girl. He didn't mind, since all kids his age seemed to be on the girly side too, but then again, it seemed logical that a rich family would pick a decent looker if they ever did choose a child from an orphanage. The purple hair color was overlooked in this area, and he was allowed to keep his hair long to medium length, pulled back into a braid.

Apparently, before he could get pulverized by the man, or god knew what else, a flurry of movement rushed past him, and knocked the person into the ground. He stared, gaping awkwardly and dumbstruck when someone literally flew from the ground and started landing punches and kicks. The group of men didn't really just stand around either. They were suddenly busy attempting to dodge and kick the lone fighter. It was like something out of a theater play, in which a hero took down a whole crowd. He backed away into the wall that he thought that he could escape to, but something kept him from running away, namely that he saw the hooded fighter, whose face was still recognizable even from the distance that Eishi stayed in throughout the battle.

Levi only had one man down to go, and he knew it wouldn't look good based on the weapon the guy pulled out. A sword had pretty good range, and it seemed like this man was attempting to play Cassanova from whoever he jacked that off of, along with some cape. It was too bad that he was also balding and had rotten teeth. They aimed at him and swung their sword. Lowering himself into a crouched position he launched one of the arrows into the air and pivoted his body upwards. The glint of metal caught his eye as it started rushing towards him, and he used his own knife in order to repel it, catching the strike with two blades crossed in front of him that echoed loudly throughout the somewhat quiet alley they fought in. But the guy had some kind of trick up his sleeve. A loud bang sounded through the alleyway and smoke filtered through everywhere.

He launched back and tried to sense for footsteps and located the man from his sound.

"Levi!" The man had feinted a slash to the side and did a lower uppercut, only to be repelled by another source. Isabel had jabbed her own sword into the guy's neck before the full weight of the blow could take place, but some of the damage had already been done. He stumbled back, at some point, but knew that he was cut, and it was rather deep as well, not enough to damage organs but just enough to get seriously infected if left untreated. "What the hell happened to ya? Didn't you say it'd only take 5 minutes?!"

That was when Eishi moved away from the alleyway and ran up to the two. "Wait!" he shouted out.

Isabel paused and turned to stare at him. "What do you want?" She asked, the look on her face plainly stating that more pressing matters were at hand.

He skidded to a stop. "I know someone who can help him. It's my fault that he got in this state, so at the very least, allow me to repay the debt."

She eyed him and squinted a bit. "You aren't from around here. What makes you think -"

"Enough!" Levi broke in, as he attempted to move away. "I can take care of myself."

Eishi sighed, and reached into his pocket, holding out what looked like a good amount of money in his pouch. "If you take me back to the upper city, I will give you this, and I will guarantee that your friend is good as new when he comes back."

They both stared at him, looking at the amount of money that was actually Eishi's birthday present to his brother.

"You really aren't from around here," sighed Isabel. "What kind of moron goes around here with that much money on hand?"

The trip back to the upper city remained uneventful, but partly because Levi had collapsed halfway there, and they were suddenly in a bit of a hurry.


	2. Levi wakes up

It seemed much too soon when Eishi arrived at the house of the doctor that he just knew he had to bring Levi to. It had been much more exciting than he wanted to admit, as they dashed past houses with gazes watching them curiously. Isabel took it all in stride, even glaring at some people ahead of them, before they made their way past. Eishi thought he heard Isabel murmuring something about a guy named Farland but he was distracted abruptly as the sight of the doctor's house came into view. They hopped up the steps, with Levi in tow and he rang the doorbell loudly.

It was a pretty normal looking house, and the only thing that seemed to make it unique about other brick and wooden areas was that there were gentle chimes that hung over the porch, making soft rippling noises should the wind brush against it. Eishi had always been calmed by the sound of it back when he visited as a kid. It was like something mystical before they entered the coziest looking place in the entire area. Sai was a doctor who was well off, who looked rather healthy for his age and always had a set of glasses on him, so the gentle tune seemed to fit the guy.

The door was opened a few moments later, and the smell of baked sweets lingered in the air. Sai had pulled off his mittens, usually with little cat symbols all over it but he still had on an apron.

"Eishi?" He seemed a bit surprised. "That was a pretty sudden visit. What's happened this time?" His gaze fell on Levi and he seemed to study him a bit. He sighed, and pulled open the door wider for both of them to step in.

"He collapsed on our way here," said Eishi. "I think it could be serious."

"And I wish you could give me a notice ahead of time! Place him on the guest bed," Sai simply stated as if everything was still in order. "I will look at him. You and your friend should take a seat while I examine the damage."

Isabel looked around the place. "That's very nice of you, but are you sure you aren't going to ask for payment first?" She furrowed her brows, looking a bit suspicious.

Sai smiled over to her, and shook his head as if to indicate a silent "No" before he glanced over to Eishi and just left. They could hear the sound of some electronical furniture being shut off, and Eishi assumed it was the oven.

He led Isabel to where the room was, holding Levi on one hand, with Isabel supporting him practically over her shoulder. It was an awkward silence between the two, as he opened the door and they both dragged the unconscious man over to the bed. It was then that Eishi realized how small of a frame that Levi really was, the guy must have been quite fragile, and yet the strength beneath his frame was amazing back when he was in action. Isabel bit her lip before she pulled the covers over him.

"If you die on me now, Levi.. I swear Farland's going to never let me hear the end of it." She let out a breath and then glanced over to Eishi. "Just so you know, he didn't save you. We were targeting those guys thanks to something they took from us initially. Are you still happy with paying for this?"

"Yeah," he said, looking at the other who seemed deep in sleep the entire time. The black locks were trembling slightly as the other seemed to be sweating a bit. "If he wasn't there, I'd be kidnapped or sold into slavery, so I already decided what I was going to do. After this, you guys can return safely."

The two drifted off into silence for one more awkward moment before Isabel finally whistled and patted Eishi on the shoulder. "I guess not all of you rich people are all that bad," she said. "I was surprised you came back from your hiding spot."

Eishi grinned awkwardly. "Had no clue where I was going anyway," he shrugged, a blush tinting up his features as he found it weird to be called brave for something so stupid.

A knock on the door frame signalled that Sai was ready to take a look at Levi. Eishi watched nervously as Levi was examined, feeling the seconds tick by as if they were really minutes. He figured that Isabel felt the same, as they watched as Sai examined the injuries.

"Pneumonia due to the weather," muttered Sai. "Huge wound, pretty deep. I will have to wrap him up in some bandages." He stood up from his position next to the bedside. "He will have to stay here for a bit," he said, and then looked to Isabel in particular. "You two can visit him as often as you will like, but he will not be recovering immediately. I recommend that he rest for at least two weeks."

Isabel blinked. "Two weeks huh? He won't like that!"

The purple haired boy of the group simply relaxed. "It means he's going to be all right then?"

Sai nodded. "Yes," He said in a kind manner. "He just needs time to recuperate, as well as other treatment."

Eishi nodded and left the room. Isabel stayed behind to question Sai a bit more, but the boy had heard enough, and was pretty exhausted himself. He glanced out the window, and saw that a Military Police officer was standing nearby, and found that he had to move straight for the couch to collapse onto it. He grew tired as the sleepiness drew him into an almost numb and comfortably warm state. It didn't help that the chimney fire nearby made soft flickering noises to further the relief and the general atmosphere of being in a safe place.

To hell with everything that happened, he thought to himself. I'll deal with it later.

* * *

When he woke up, Isabel had left, and Sai handed him a note from her that simply said that he was dead meat if anything happened to Levi, and that they were going to watch him like a hawk. He couldn't help but roll his eyes up at the ceiling, and add it to the list of people who usually watched him during his private life, from love letters to school drama. Still, before all this had happened, it had been pretty boring back home. Sure, Eishi was rich and had everything that he could possibly want, and not starving out on the streets was the best way to go in this world, but he was beginning to understand why Jake went off into the slums like he did, although he wasn't sure he would be able to do that himself.

Eishi looked down at the note in his hand, some scratch paper that Sai had on handy, written with smooth ink. Isabel knew how to write, but her writing was rather sloppy, leaving Eishi to believe that she hadn't much practice. He stood up from the couch and looked over at Sai, raising a hand to rub at his eyes as he resisted a yawn. "How is he?" He asked, crumpling up the note in his hand and dropping it so that it could be thrown out with the scraps.

"Mildly awake, I explained the situation to him," Sai commented, reaching over and setting down a plate of cookies in front of the other, and a glass cup of tea. "I explained to your father what was going on," he added, just as calmly. "And as for the bill, I wouldn't worry about it for now."

Eishi looked over at Sai. "Huh?"

"That kid with you is not a normal friend of yours, is he? I think he could use a little charity every now and then," Sai responded, and then left the room. The doctor was nice enough, but surprisingly rather distant when it came to being social. Perhaps that's why he was always fishing Eishi out of trouble.

He glanced over at the door to the guest room and headed to it, finding his curiosity reawakened as he peeked through carefully. Levi was lying on the bed, and seemed to be awake, but there was a towel over his head. The bedsheet covered the wound which was likely bandaged up by now, as his hands seemed to be lying in a lifeless pose above. It seemed as if the guy was deep in thought, despite the red hue over his face, which signalled that he was still under some sort of fever. When Eishi moved closer, his face turned and his eyes stared over at him, piercing sharply in a gaze that seemed more serious and more alert than any kid that he'd ever met before.

He looked over at the other, and they looked back. Eishi felt as if crickets could easily start some opera in the atmosphere that fell over them for the moment.

Surprisingly, it was the other person who broke the silence. "What do you want?"

That snapped him out of whatever speechlessness that he had felt for the moment. "I uh.. I was wondering if you wanted a cookie..." He trailed off and then changed his tactic pretty quickly, from the incredulous look on the other's face. "I'm just here to see how you're doing!"

Levi paused, and then turned his face back to the ceiling. "I'm sure he told you," he said. He made a face at that moment as if he was upset about whatever he had said.

"Sai told me that you had to stay here for 2 weeks," he added in what he hoped was a helpful manner.

"I could be gone in one. This place is filthy."

Eishi blinked at the unexpected answer, and glanced around. "Where?!"

The black haired boy raised a hand and gestured around. "It's dusty everywhere. And there is a red stain on the wall over there."

He frowned, not seeing it as he peered over and walked up close to search for the stain on the wall, he said and squinted, pointing at one dot. "You mean this one?"

"More over to your right…"

"Whoa.. I see it now!"

He stared at the wall for what looked like an eternity, clearly not sure how to get rid of it. He'd seen some of the maids work before, and he supposed they used a cloth and some of the kids back at the orphanages would use toothbrushes. But it'd been a pretty long time ago. Still, at some point he realized that it was not a good idea to let the other guy leave past doctor's recommendations. "You're supposed to stay here until you recover fully," he started. "I'll get someone to clean up the room for you."

Levi didn't answer him but he seemed somewhat more pleased with Eishi's answer.

"Also," the noble kid added. "I wanted to thank you for interfering back there. I thought I was a dead guy."

"You would have been dead," Levi answered swiftly. "What were you thinking showing up there? I know better places to commit suicide at."

He stared at the other with wide eyes when they said that. "Suicide? You can commit suicide there?" He seemed pretty worried for a moment, but if Levi noticed, he didn't comment, and he didn't feel like continuing the conversation all of a sudden. When someone pointed it out like that, it was kind of scary, in the possibility that his brother went there to kill himself. "It wasn't like that, I was just looking for someone."

Levi scoffed. "Bring one of the Military Police with you next time," he advised. "But then again, they could probably be useless too," he muttered quietly in a tone that Eishi almost didn't hear.

"Yeah, they could be," he agreed, and that seemed to put the conversation off entirely, as each of them might have found a topic in which there was no argument to be had. "Is it really that bad there?" he asked, finally. "I mean, it looked pretty bad, but I saw some people and they looked around my age."

Eishi was beginning to understand that with Levi, the other wasn't going to talk to him easily, meaning that there were going to be a lot of pauses as he tried to get the other to tell him things. But somewhere deep down, he thought that maybe it wasn't so bad, that his brother could be there for some other reason. The childish side of him thought that it was some heroic tale, and that maybe there was some important reasoning behind all of this, but his hopes were simply dashed with Levi's next, somewhat muted response.

"A target like you could have been killed by me."


	3. Back to Reality

"Hey you, out of my way!"

A shout rang out from down the hallway as Eishi collided with someone and sent books falling all over the floor. The guy seemed to be from a rival academy in comparison to theirs. Around this time, the schools were having a sports tournament and was hosting a friendly match, as well as housing the best team members from the rival school they were to be competing against. Select friends were allowed to accompany, and always proved to cause some sort of chaos somehow, since everyone seemed to be in the winning spirits.

Eishi leant over to pick up the books, but the guy simply shoved him back a bit, causing him to stumble in surprise.

"If you had moved aside, then this wouldn't have happened."

"..." He simply stared at the other as he realized that they were trying to pick a fight.

"Aren't you going to say something? Well?" The person grew impatient as Eishi glanced to the side and looked as if he were ready to dart away. "Damnit. That's it!" They raised their hand and looked about to land a punch on him, before someone stopped them with a hand on their wrist.

Jake had shown up, and accompanying him were his usual friends flanked on either side of him; two serious-faced boys called Jonathan and Mitchell. "As usual, kids from the West side of the wall seem to be overstaying their welcome. Are you actually one of the team members here or a friend of theirs?"

Eishi frowned and raised a hand to wave and get Jake's attention. "Lets just forget about this. There's a pile of books in the hallway and people could trip over them here."

Jake nodded his head over to Jonathan and Mitchell, before he looked over at Eishi. "I'll take care of this," He said, as the guy he was holding made a somewhat pained noise due to the pressure of the grip that was around his wrist. "The books will be delivered over to your room later. Run along to class now."

Eishi frowned and looked dubiously at the pile. "But - "

His brother's eyes flashed and the look on his face was quite serious, so much that Eishi broke off in the end. "Are you questioning my methods?"

He glanced over at the guy who was glaring at both of them now, but with gritted teeth, to the point that Eishi was worried that they could be in serious trouble either way if he didn't leave. Without another look, he headed over to class, dashing quickly over because he realized that he was 5 minutes late.

* * *

In the classroom, all the students had already filed in. Eishi gave a nervous excuse to the teacher, and wasn't even given a slap to the wrist as he took his seat next to his best friend. They had known each other since school had started. It was to be their last year in this place, before they would grow up and choose whichever professions that they wanted. Audrey wanted to become a sort of detective one day, and coupled with both their curiosities, they would end up in tons of trouble. She was a silver haired girl with ever-dreaming irises, clear and light blue, soft spoken and the perfect companion if Eishi ever wanted a good listener. She didn't seem one bit surprised to see him late for class, as he admittedly was the type to be wandering off somewhere before he lost track of time.

The teacher started the lesson, and gave a lecture, before it was time to pair up in groups for a project. Eishi had to admit that he wasn't very focused, and seeing as it was art class, there wasn't much that interested him on the subject. He looked down at his paper and started doodling what he could see of Audrey as she also attempted to draw him.

"What's wrong?" she murmured softly, her pen scratching quietly along the surface of the sketchpad.

He looked up, pausing in his own scrawls as he tried to make an outline of Audrey's bangs. They were neatly cut in a cutely sensible fashion, and Eishi knew he could trust her, but partly told her the truth because he knew she would find out some other way.

"I met someone a few days ago," he started. "I want school to be over with so I can see them."

Audrey did pause for a second, and her eyes raised to look over at Eishi curiously. "Is it someone special to you?"

He stared blankly at her, his expression clearly nonplussed. "No," he said. "He's just different," he leant in and lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear. "I met him at the slums."

Audrey continued drawing by then, acting as if nothing had happened. "Why were you down there?" she asked, but Eishi could tell in the slight tremor of her wrist that she was a bit nervous about the idea that Eishi had gone down to the area at all.

"I was following Jake," Eishi said. "I don't know when he started, but he's been going down there lately, and apparently he's been using his fencing skills." But he was only stating this casually, as fencing skills were not necessarily good in combat. Jake on the other hand, had been training with the sword since he was 7, and probably found other ways to make use of the weapon.

She stopped questioning him then, and Eishi went back to drawing. It was as if the very conversation between the two had not happened as he focused on sketching the desk now and her form hunched over the desk in her blue blazer. The uniform was pretty conservatively made, with a skirt that hung low down to the knees, but the fabric and style was made particularly stylish as noble kids did seem to have an eye for fashion.

"The world can be a very cruel place," Audrey stated suddenly. "Don't spend too much time down there, because you will soon realize this firsthand."

It was just then that Eishi caught someone out of the corner of his eye looking at them. They had been standing in the doorway for that second, with a rather scary expression, before they walked off. "Who is that?" he hissed over to Audrey.

She didn't answer all that immediately, and in fact seemed to not have heard him for the moment.

"Audrey?"

"Their name is Charlen," she said. "New teacher in this school. But.."

Before she could continue, the school alarm rang, signalling that it was time to change classes. Eishi and Audrey stood up to gather the materials that she had set out beforehand, and Eishi helped her pack up.

"If he does anything weird to you, you know you can tell me, right?" Eishi wasn't stupid, and was pretty aware that the grownups could be rather creepy these days. Something from the man's expression wasn't just creepy, it was that and seemed to hold a bit of hostile intent as well.

Audrey gave Eishi a silent nod and they parted ways, with her words ringing in his head. He found himself thinking of Levi's words too, and wondered why he had been so drawn to the mystery behind this boy who seemed to be surrounded in a shroud of death.

* * *

He walked over the streets, kicking at some stones in the way and trying not to seem too eager to approach Sai's house. It wasn't a very close distance from the school, much less his own house, but it seemed that every trip he had made as a kid was worth it. Energy seemed to invigorate him, as much as it had when he felt like there was some purpose for him to strive for. But he couldn't deny the fact that he was nervous. He felt as bad as the kid in front of him currently being chased by two other boys, who were throwing stones in his direction. He couldn't have been older than 6, and seemed desperate for a place to hide. Eishi continued to approach him, walking as if there was no dispute to be had.

The kid ducked behind him, hiding from the boys and trembling nervously. He smiled over to them and waved without much of a word, then continued to walk on, feeling the stares on his frame as the boy just followed.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked the other quietly. It was pretty easy to intimidate other kids that were that young, but it also helped that he actually looked like a girl. Perhaps it confused the others for the moment, when they saw a noble guy dressed in fancy clothing, but he was pretty used to it. After all, Jake had spent years beating up other kids until everyone who knew him and their family had matured past the point of hair pulling, and hopping games. It had been weird at first, not to have people looking down on him for looking too girly.

The boy looked up at him curiously, seeming to stare at him a bit longer with wide eyes. Black hair framed emerald green eyes that swiveled towards the ground and they answered hesitantly. "Soliel," he said in a whisper. "Dad calls me Sol."

They walked down the road comfortably and Eishi sighed as he glanced upon the sun, and shielded his eyes. "Don't you have to stay home? You don't look like you go to school."

"I don't like school," the kid murmured.

"But you like walking out in this weather?"

"Yeah."

"What if it rains though?"

"It's still better than school."

"Fine, but what about home then? You can't really enjoy staying out in the rain." Eishi paused and quirked a brow. "But then again you are a kid. Hmm.."

"If I'm at home, I stay home," said Sol with a shrug. "But only if it's raining outside."

"So you're usually outside. What's the difference between school and being outside then?"

"I can run away from those jerks."

That ended the conversation right there, and Eishi found himself chuckling a bit.

Around that time, he arrived over at Sai's house, and pulled out a key that the doctor had given him. He turned to address the kid before he found that the other was missing. "Hey - " He glanced left and right quickly but the soft pitter patter of footsteps had disappeared inside the house. He let out a sigh, and closed the door behind him, before reaching into the huge sack that he had strapped to his shoulder to make sure that the materials he'd gotten from the royal library were still around.

The room that Levi stayed in looked a lot cleaner that morning. Eishi saw the kid walking around the hallways, but not doing anything more than just looking around. He shrugged, and entered Levi's room.

Levi stared over at him when he entered, still not looking in any better shape than the day before. Eishi had resolved to visit him as often as he could, so not much time had passed. After all, if he had rescued this person, he was going to make as much good use of it as he could. Not to mention, being around someone who didn't kiss your ass all the time was a good change of pace, because Jake was always being surrounded by people who looked up to him.

"Who is that?" Levi narrowed his gaze at the kid next door. There was a smell of food, something delicious that Sai had no doubt cooked.

"It's your new roommate!" He said with a cheeky grin, before glancing back from the door. "Damn, I missed dinner. Ah well," He walked over to Levi and placed the huge sack of books in front of him. "Can you read?"

In response, Levi simply picked up one of the books and read it. There was a quiet pause before both his eyebrows shot up, and he opened the book surprisingly quickly, flipping through the pages with ease.

"His lover cried out with ecstasy, as his hands wandered up her legs beneath the expensive skirt she wore," he read in an unimpressed tone.

It was then that Eishi realized that there had been some mix-up in the dropped books from the hallway that morning. He blushed and grabbed the book out of the other's hand. "W-wrong one!" He stuttered, and stuffed it back to the very bottom of pile. "Uh.. try this one."

Levi looked over at that book, and opened the pages. "Her bosom had grown ample as his hands had it's way with it. Apparently, she had been trained -"

He broke off as Eishi snatched that book back as well. "Are you suggesting something?" he asked, barely seeming to hide the amusement in his voice.

Eishi reached into the pile deep inside, and finally pulled out what looked like a title that he was familiar with. "Okay, I swear, this one is tame."

Levi was about to read that one too, when Sol burst out into laughter from nearby. "Oh shit.." Eishi just realized that he had allowed a kid to listen in on that stuff. But Sol didn't seem to mind, and in fact stumbled back into a closet in the room, his shoulders trembling with mirth. A creak was made, and before Eishi could blink, the closet was on the verge of overturning and falling on the boy.

Surprisingly, Eishi wasn't the only one who ran forward to keep the boy from being crushed. The closet was big and square, and a bit old fashioned. The clothing inside it was probably what made it so heavy as he and Levi struggled to push it back with all their might. Thankfully, it did let up as they both focused their own weight on it.

With wide eyes, the boy scrambled away from the area, and went to sit in the corner. Levi just narrowed his gaze over to the boy. "If you're going to stay here you better not do that again."

"I won't," the boy looked over at Levi with what looked like puppy eyes.

Eishi just started laughing outright at that, and he gestured for the boy to come back closer to them. "Loosen up, you two. And I was only kidding about that. He has a home to go back to."

Levi was already back in the bed by the time they had collected themselves. He was still watching them from his position, not seeming to trust sleeping with people in the room, so Eishi decided to excuse himself and drag Soliel out with him. One look at him and Eishi could tell that he seemed to have somewhat of a headache, but he also didn't make eye contact or admit how exhausted or disoriented that heroic feat had made him.

"He needs to rest. I'll read to you out in the living room."

The living room was a plush carpeted area. It was usually pretty clean, as Sai had a personal maid drop by one day every week when he was too busy to do the housework himself. He did have a lot of patients, and seemed to prioritize care over presentation, leaving the area not to look as sterile as a doctor's office, but just passed well enough to show that he was a successful and warm professional.

He took a seat on one of the maroon colored couches, and pulled out the book that he had been about to hand Levi. "This stuff is from the Royal library, and this isn't for kids," he started in as serious a tone as he could muster, staring down at Soliel who was sitting on the floor, waiting to hear what he had to say. "But I'll tell you about it anyway. Just don't have any nightmares on me." He raised a hand and opened past the intro, to the first chapter.

"This is a collection of a series of imaginary works based on the few resources we could find on Titans. But first off, what are Titans? They appeared around 500 years ago and drove humanity to the brink of extinction. The living survivors of humans grew desperate, and erected 3 walls that kept the humans safe, until this very day. No one knows how the wall was created, but it is known lovingly by the human race as Wall Sina, Wall Rose, and Wall Maria. The monsters itself walk like humans, but they are giants, with often grotesque faces, and it is said that their only way to be killed is at the nape of their necks."

Eishi looked up from his book and looked over at Soliel. "Any questions?"

The boy shook his head, his eyes wide as he then continued to read. It was a set of horror stories, about people who did bad deeds, and were sometimes executed by being thrown out into the walls for titans. Or about this one curious human who one day decided to go out past the walls, to lovers who committed suicide together. Soliel seemed rather scared as each tale was given, and Eishi found himself thinking mischievously that it was a rather cute sight for a small guy like that. Kids these days still had bad sides, but they were not all that bad, he noted.

At some point they had dropped the book, and Soliel had decided to head into the room that Levi was sleeping in. Eishi would watch the kid, and was about to ask when he would return home, but dropped the question when he saw that Soliel was holding Levi's hand.

Levi was expressionless, but still looked rather feverish and would be tossing a bit on the bed to the point that Eishi felt the urge to look away, so he did.

When Sai returned home that night, Eishi told him what had happened. "You seem to be picking up strangers all the time," the good natured doctor told him.

Eishi shrugged. "I can't help it," he said. "It's like part of me knows that they aren't all that bad deep down."

Sai nodded, but he suddenly had a far off gaze as he glanced out the window. "If only all people and beings in this world had the same instincts."

That night, Eishi stayed over at the house yet again. It didn't occur to him that at some point, it would be time for his own family to worry about him, until it happened.


	4. Attack on Nobles

_In this world, nobles have a lot of power. It doesn't mean that they are invincible, but they are guaranteed a carefree life, happy to live with everyone wrapped around their fingers. They can do anything they want, and even get away with murder._

He was a busy person, and did not usually have time to spend with his family. Most of his activities ranged from studying overnight, trying to get the top scores in his class, to making sure that people around him viewed him as someone to be admired. Jake didn't do all of this with no goal in mind, because he was preparing to follow in his father's footsteps. He wanted to take over a company which was doing rather well at the moment, and then after that he would try to become a member of the Parliament. The last one could take a while, and so to take out his stress, he had at some point decided to put his long honed battle skills to use.

It didn't occur to him that killing in self defense was wrong, but when his brother confronted him about it, he realized that there was no way he could actually tell him.

_Brother dearest, my hands are stained in blood from the filth below us in the slums. But I'm sure you understand why it was necessary? Ugh.. No, who on earth thinks that is a good idea?_

So he lived the double life to his best, trying to forget who he was in one, and who he was in the other. It wasn't like nobles around him didn't start murder plots, when they wanted to keep the public opinion focused on them as good, and not as some bloodthirsty psychopaths, or someone who made a simple mistake such as, failed to kidnap someone and witnesses were left alive to be sources of blackmail. So he went along in his own special way, just perhaps at the ripe age of 18, and with more blood on his hands than any other noble put together.

And then on the night of his brother's birthday, he was told by one of the maids that they were staying elsewhere other than his home. He didn't think anything of it, at first, and allowed the oddity to happen every night after that. When Eishi came home, they headed straight for the showers and then to class, seeming as normal as they used to be, laughing, making jokes, and trying to start another conversation with him before class had to start. But then he heard a very odd rumor circulating the school. It was simply that Jake's brother wished to join the military.

_Wouldn't that be odd? I didn't think any of us would ever try something that dangerous._

_What's the use of fighting or doing servant's work? He can't be planning to go out there and die like food, can he?_

The whispers got to him, whether he would admit it or not. He decided one day, after class, to stop his brother before he left, for wherever he did when school ended.

Unfortunately, he had left too soon before he could catch him, and that was when Jake decided that he would follow the other instead, using the Military Police to point him in the right direction.

* * *

He stood in front of the officer in question, having located them in an area around the home mansion. It was not their shift to track Eishi today, and likely, another person had taken their place. This person didn't seem to care one way or another what happened and they simply just did what they could, namely watching over the every move of nobles, or playing some card game during their wide expanse of time offs. He marched over, and placed a hand on their shoulder, causing the guy's friends who had already been staring over at him to jump back. Jake had a rather intimidating presence. No one had forgotten the brat that he was back at age 6, right when he'd caused more trouble, bruises and pain for them. But more surprising was that a noble would usually take the time to address them. With the look on his face, the others probably thought that one of them was in trouble.

"I'm looking for my brother, Eishi," he said in a stern tone as he all but gripped the guy's shoulder sleeve and dragged him to a standing position. "Show me where he is."

The guy paused and gulped a bit. He glanced back at his companions who were nodding quickly in a way that suggested that they would assume that it was still some kind of order, before he looked back over at the brown haired noble. "It's not my shift yet. How would I know where to find him?"

He started to walk off, and he expected the guy to follow him, which they did, the soft shuffling of footsteps trailing behind him as they headed for the roads. "My guard doesn't know. You're one of the few tasked with keeping an eye on him. I'm sure you know where he usually goes right about now, and if you didn't then you wouldn't be doing your job."

Jake glanced back with a smirk, because he knew the guy could easily be fired if they refused by now. He always got things to go his way, and the guy seemed to concede as he realized the futility of it all when talking to someone who was very close to his superior. "It's not part of my job description," he grumbled. "But it's this way."

They walked down the path, and Jake wasn't all that surprised that it took awhile. The houses were rather familiar, and more in a district that was less rich, perhaps an area that could be attacked by titans rather easily before it reached the area in which the more wealthier class lived. They were not identical, as the structure of this area allowed differences in the houses, some structures more square and others with triangle shingles supported on the top. The path was vaguely familiar to him, and it didn't take long before he realized where they were headed. He raised a hand and tapped the guy on the shoulder.

"You're free to go now," he said, authority that seemed way past his years in his stance and his expression. As a noble kid, some of them had the privilege of behaving past the current years, and he was technically considered an adult by the age of 18 anyway.

He glanced behind him, to see that his guard was hiding somewhere near some trees, and would probably continue to follow him all the way, whereas Eishi's guard simply shrugged and headed back. There was no point in questioning the mysterious actions of someone who could have you fired before they batted an eyelash.

Jake simply turned back, a disgusted look on his face. It was in a way, as if they knew everything that he was about to do and had done, and probably told stories about it to their friends, one of the other reasons he was driven to peruse the slums, simply to be in territory where they would leave him alone.

He walked the rest of the way to Sai's house, as Eishi used to bring him here whenever he got hurt, before he started using the nurse rooms and the much more convenient nearby hospital like everyone else. He raised a hand, and then rung the doorbell after walking up the neat chalk orange brick staircases. Nobody answered, and it seemed that Sai had been away from the house, as doctors did have rather busy schedules. He was going to leave, but remembered that he had not wasted his time heading this way for no reason, and placed his hand on the doorknob.

Sai's door was unlocked, much to his surprise and he entered the room, noticing that not much had changed since the last time he saw it. Walls and chairs were ridiculously full in color, in a manner that made him feel as if he had stumbled upon a huge edge of some rainbow. There was normal furniture of course, but Jake could not really say much for whoever had chosen to design the background in whatever way they did. He walked past the overly plush carpet, and looked in some of the rooms, avoiding the personal room of Sai and looking for the kitchen next. The attic was empty, as was the bathroom, and even the music room in the house was unusually pristine. His last guess for where his brother could have been was the guest room. Walking over to it, he pushed open the door, to be met with exactly who he was looking for.

Eishi was slumped in a chair, with his face buried in a book, and there was someone unfamiliar who was sat up in the bed, with a bandage over what looked like an area that had been wounded, sitting pressed up against the wall, as he looked as if he had no clue what to do.

They looked over at him, seeming to size him up with sharp eyes, and Jake stared. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?!"

Levi stared back with an equally displeased look, but before he could respond, a shifting movement at the bedside caught both their attention, a tired mumble, slur of words as Jake suddenly noticed that there was an empty beer can on the floor. "Ow, my head.. what's going on? Someone turn that rooster off."

Levi was one of the criminals in a slum that Jake had spotted back when he was down there. He was well known as he and his companions were pretty good at killing, beating up others, and even knew about torture techniques. They didn't know each other personally, but Jake simply knew that when running around that street, that it was best not to make any close acquaintances, especially people who would recognize who he was. Still, for his brother to meet someone in the slums must have meant that it had something to do with his own activities, as well as that the idiot could have been in some sort of danger the entire time that he had been away from home.

Seeing red, he simply reached over and dragged off his brother, ignoring whatever protest the other gave. The door was shut on Sai's house loudly as they would be headed away from there and headed to anywhere, but mostly as far away from this mysterious Levi as they could be.

* * *

It wasn't long after school had ended, but the time seemed to blur on as he walked, and Eishi had grown to following the other silently, and Jake had no problems leading. Thoughts raced through his mind to where he could possibly bring his brother to, because they surely needed to be in a very serious discussion. They entered the school, which was open still for clubs that had after school activities, and eventually they headed to a room, wide with space enough for a football field, and an opening to the school gardens, which seemed to let air breeze in rather comfortingly. It gave good shade from the sun while lighting up the area were torches covered with glass.

He would disappear into a room for a second, and Eishi would wait outside, before he grabbed what he was looking for and tossed it at the other. A sword.

"Get ready," he said, and got into a pose, before launching himself at the other, and swinging.

Clashing sounds of the two metallic weaponry echoed across the room as his brother was forced to defend himself. It was not class day, but this was the only class they shared together, and perhaps it was more relaxing than he would like to think. As he lost himself in the blur of striking and just letting metal meet metal, narrowly missing flesh, he started to speak, stepping back and pointing his sword to the other.

"I will decide if you are fit for the military," he said finally. "Someone who can't fight me and win won't do anything but die out there."

It was then that the other started to react. They jumped forward and it was the first time that they would seem to really mean it. The motions in which they struck was full of sincerity, causing his body to skid back lightly after a particularly violent hit.

He smirked, and now it was time for the counterattack, before his pose drastically changed and he went out all on freestyle, his blows soaring at the rate of someone with more strength than his shallow-like frame seemed to suggest. He ran forward, hitting quickly with enough strength to shatter vases upon impact, and seemed to imagine that there were such targets ahead of him. His brother's body was no longer human, just obstacles in his way as he aimed, faked for one side and then slashed towards the bottom.

Surprisingly, the countering sword was slashed upon the ground, on a patch of grass that ended from the slab floor to an area that extended into the courtyard opening. They had fought towards in that direction and the other had been pushed so far that they were now all the way on the other side of the room.

"Tell me," he said, breathing a little heavy, but still with about as much composure as he usually had. "What made you decide on such a foolish field to enlist into?" He raised his sword and pointed it over to the other's neck.

Purple eyes staring back at him shook slightly, as they huffed a bit and tried to respond. "To get stronger, brother. That's why," they said. "Ever since I was a kid, you've always looked after me. If I pass training there then it won't be needed."

It did not occur to Jake at that moment that the reason had something to do with him. He lowered his sword for the moment, allowing the other to retrieve the one that had been stuck into the grassy area of the dueling field.

"If you want to get stronger, then all you had to do was ask me," he said. "If you wanted to be stronger than me, I could have showed you. We fight here together all the time, when have I ever held back on you?"

His turn to defend came when his brother's sword lashed out towards his neck, and he had to jump back as rains of hits landed upon him. "Do you think this class is enough?! I.. I'm not like you anymore. I'm not even a real noble, and to hell with it. Even you know this better than I do. Or did you not just break a very important rule in the book by running at me and aiming for my legs? Out there it's not going to be so easy."

He was beginning to see the results of his training instruction beginning to be put into work from his brother, but couldn't help and feel highly insulted at that comment. _So I'm not good enough for you now?_

"That's not your only motive. I caught you trying to whore yourself out in front of this slum rat. Don't give me that innocent act! I thought you had better class than that. Or are you trying to throw away everything father gave to you by joining the recon corps like some cattle kneeling before they are eaten up like the rest of the poor out there? You could die like this with all the shame you could bestow upon us if anyone finds out!"

Apparently, that had struck a nerve, as the next blow knocked the sword out of his hand with the force of it and he was punched in the face. He didn't really give up either, mostly out of pettiness as they swung at each other, fists flying and attempting to bruise the hell out of one another. Around the time that Eishi had him in a chokehold, and he was attempting to bust the other's kneecap was when things went even more downhill.

It happened quickly, but perhaps when they both saw what it was, there was no arguing that in a second, everything could have been destroyed.

Audrey ran past them, the sound of her footsteps finally clear, before she simply just lost it and screamed. Of course, the two of them stopped fighting when they saw the state she was in, dripping blood and shaking like a leaf. In fact, they had never seen so much blood in their life, and didn't fail to notice that her hand was missing. She had fallen to her knees, as if the presence of her best friend was the only thing that kept her from continuing to bolt, but didn't seem to be any better, even when Eishi seemed rather worried.

"What happened to you?!" he cried out. "Who did this to you? Was it..?"

"Everything's over.. everything is going to end.. I'm going to die and …" she trailed off, tears streaming down her face, and refused to answer anything that his brother asked.

Jake turned around, and that was when he saw it.

His blood froze, or rather everything around him seemed to slow down in that very second. Of course, what could really strike fear into his heart like this but a titan? He'd never seen one before, but a finger was dangling from it's mouth before it dropped to the floor, as simply as if it were a dog who had been playing catch.

_How is this possible? Has the walls collapsed? No, it couldn't be, they said that nothing would get past Wall Rose, and if something's happened then Wall Maria should have gone down first._

But there it was, standing like a nightmare as it suddenly ran over to him with inhuman speed, raising a hand and swiping over at his body. He only had time to react before he flew into a wall, the force likely causing some of his ribs to crack as he hit it. And that was when he was picked up. He didn't know why, but there was a sword in his hand, simply because he had reached for it at the last moment as if clinging to some sort of lifeline, but his grip trembled as the mouth opened, and then something in him seemed to shatter at that moment.

He raised his sword and began carving at the monster's face with slashes, furiously as if he was clawing out it's upper lip. The other continued to try and bite him but he kicked and cursed at it as if he knew that once those jaws clamped down upon his body that it would be the end of it all.

_How dare it.. How dare this monster show up NOW?!_

He was beginning to lose his strength as the grip of the monster's hand suddenly enclosed on him, putting a lot of pressure over his form, and his sword ended up battling with those fingers.

"The nape of it's neck.. Get the nape of it's neck!" Eishi's voice cried out distantly, but he didn't listen and couldn't hear anything. He was only dropped after an eternity, but by then he had fallen to the ground, unconscious.

_They are going to get everything.. It's over._

* * *

_A/n: TBC. Stay tuned for chapter five._


	5. Prisoner Status

It was a scene of some nightmare, as he watched helplessly as his brother was picked up and about to be eaten. Eishi was frozen to the spot for a moment, unable to think of what to do, but seeing it brought a sense of hopelessness to him. He felt the oppressive air of the first time that a beast had him at it's complete mercy, and while he had read this so many times before, he was still unable to move his legs. That is when Jake cried out and lashed back, spurring him into some sort of action. It was as if he was reminded that they were no longer objects, held in a hand like some hopeless toys before their heads popped off, and that the very reason that he sought to become a soldier was to help protect his family. It wasn't just his brother that was going to be dead in a second, it was the person who protected him since he was young, without fail and over and over again. To see this happen to that person, no matter how bad they were, was enough to make him move forward.

He ran and struck at the titan's leg with his own sword, trying to find a way to distract them before they could finish the deed. "The nape of it's neck. Get the nape of it's neck!" he cried out, and he launched forward to try that. He discovered that even at it's height, and it wasn't actually the biggest giant from what he'd heard of, he still missed. The only hope was for Jake to get free and then they would run off and get help, and to do that they needed to be out of it's grasp.

Surprisingly, the second stab was dodged unusually quickly, and the titan jumped back, only to look over at Eishi. He raised his sword, just as Jake was dropped from it's grip, landing unconscious upon the ground, looking as if one of his arms had been snapped awkwardly from the crushing grip.

"What are you doing?!" A voice cried out from nearby. "Get them, they are right in your grasp so finish them off already!"

Eishi looked for the sound of the voice, but he couldn't spot the person who was hiding around. _Wait a minute, is that a human talking to that thing?_

He looked back at the titan, and for a second, something in them made him pause, the way they were standing as if they were some sort of cornered animal. But then a huge animalistic roar emerged from the form, causing wind to be blown out, and Eishi had to cover his ears as his body was almost lifted back by the force of it.

The cries continued on and on, but they didn't stop, until the titan had simply picked up Jake's fallen blade on the floor and stabbed himself. Blood rained from above, showering him endlessly, and for a second, he thought that maybe it would be acid. It was warm, but that was far from it.

He realized at some point that he was still able to see, but wished immediately that he hadn't looked.

On the floor, lying in a fading titan's corpse was Soliel. The sword that he had grabbed from Jake on the floor was now back in it's respectful lying spot, near it's owner as it had dropped out of the titan shifter's hands once he had stabbed himself into the nape of the neck with it, apparently slicing through to his real form. He was in the same outfit that he had when Eishi had walked him home that night, perhaps another color of red, as if someone had dressed him up for battle or some sickeningly twisted festive reason, and thankfully his eyes were closed, the same deep green that the other would not be able to look at anymore.

He fell to his knees, unable to believe the sight before him, his hands trembling as he just stopped thinking for the moment. There was an odd wave of pain that washed over him, seeming to sink into his form like the bloodstains all around. His eyes were simply glued to the person in front of him, at the fragile body that looked as if it was sleeping. He could not have dragged himself and his brother out of this mess, because by the time that he started realizing where he was, someone had already rang a bell, sounding some kind of alarm throughout the school. Someone else was frantically explaining to some teachers that someone had murdered a kid until his disbelief faded into despair.

This was how the Military Police found them, no one able to move, with a dead person in a pool of blood, and no trace of who the real murderer was, but of course, he knew the truth.

_So, this is what killing someone feels like,_ he thought as he looked into apathetic expressions with guns raised in their direction.

* * *

He had nothing to say to his parents, and his brother was already talking to them. The military police didn't seem to care one way or another what happened, though a few of them seemed surprised at what had happened. So he told one of the guys there, a friendly one who had watched over him for a long time that he wanted to speak to one particular person who currently resided in Sai's house. He was going to talk to Sai too, but he figured that he would give Levi a heads up before he was gone, possibly forever. Jake had hardly spoken a word about it, but he was clearly grim from the icy expression since that morning. He had been treated with some kind of bandage, and an arm cask for the moment, because while they were now branded as criminals, their lineage still allowed them some type of leeway.

The officer that had followed him over stated in a gruff voice, after knocking on the door and greeting the doctor. "This kid asked me to let him have a few words with someone."

Eishi would smile at him, though he didn't actually seem happy or warm either. Inside, he was actually scared of what would happen. "Thanks again, Stan," he said to the other. "I really owe you one now."

Stan looked down at the kid from his helmet, his mustache twitching but downwards as he grimaced. "Don't let those be your last words, kid." He actually looked as if he were in his late twenties, but had never been promoted because he didn't behave like most of his other comrades in arms, who were always involved in card games and illegal activities. Eishi had easily found that he could relate.

Sai looked over to Stan, and then to Eishi before they both headed to the couch nearby to discuss the situation. "What's going on? I must say I've never spoken with one of your officers before."

"There's another noble family pressing charges against us," he said to the other. "They say I've murdered their son, and so we are going to have a court hearing on the issue. I may not come back from this, so I thought I'd say goodbye."

He must have looked like he was about to cry, because Sai simply hugged him when he had finished speaking. He felt the tremors rise from his frame again and didn't move for a second, his grip clenched tight into fists as he tried to calm himself down, before he slowly raised his arms and hugged back, leaning onto the other's shoulder. "Is Levi all right?" he asked after a while.

Sai drew back and nodded, not questioning him on the matter, as Eishi had expected. "He is in the guest room as usual. Today is his last day here, as he has recovered sooner than I expected."

Eishi couldn't find the words to express his gratitude, but as he turned over to the doorway to enter, he found that the other was already standing there, watching them with his arms crossed.

The doctor was cheerful, despite the situation. "I didn't expect him to break the news to you like this," he said calmly.

"I wasn't expecting to hear anything," Levi countered, and his gaze turned over to Eishi. "Why are you here?"

Eishi paused and opened his mouth to say something, before he ducked his head. "I wanted to let you know that Soliel's dead," he said in a soft whisper.

There was of course, a long silence when Levi took that in. Eishi looked up to see that the other seemed slightly shocked, but he had already reached over his pocket, and pulled out a dirty rag. It was a piece of Soliel's clothing, that he had sliced off of the other at some point. "I'm sorry," he said, holding it out to him as if it were proof.

Surprisingly, Levi reached over carefully and picked up the cloth before pocketing it after folding it carefully. "You don't have to explain," he said. "That kid seemed to be asking for trouble and he wasn't careful."

He smiled at the bittersweet taste of the entire situation. "No, he wasn't."

Levi then glanced over at the Military Police and his look darkened, but he did raise his hand in a wave to Eishi before walking off, cloak and everything with his confiscated gear hidden as well as his face.

* * *

The courtroom was full of grim faces, serious expressions watching their every move. Eishi stood next to Jake, feeling for once, the impact of the situation. His representative had been unable to get the family to drop the charges, but he would have felt a lot better if Charlen hadn't been Soliel's father. The man was not staring at any of them this time, but he seemed to be in a worse mood than before, judging by the way he handled some of the servants that had accompanied him over. When he caught Eishi looking at him, that was his cue to look away, pretty sure that whatever he saw there would be the same. But this time, he would note that the man also had green eyes.

With a bang of the mallet, the meeting started, and the judge looked down at the two kids as he asked a few questions.

First, he looked to Jake.

"I'm sure you boys are aware of the situation you are in, so lets hear your explanations."

Jake would seem to pale up a bit, and his throat seemed to clench up just slightly before he answered. "I thought I had seen a titan," he said finally.

Murmurs of disbelief rose from the crowd as people seemed to express their discontent with him from around. A pastor of one of the wall groups simply stood up from his seat and cried out.

"That is hearsay. Nothing can get past the great walls that protect us. And you are saying that something, much less a titan has?!"

The representative for Charlen simply smirked, as he cleared his throat. "I would like to point out, your honor, that this man has been known for bullying other kids since the age of 7, and regularly visits the slums district at night."

Eishi found that he was getting upset as he listened to all their secrets being thrown out into the air, and was about to speak, when more was spoken on the conversation, as their representative seemed to notice that Eishi was about to speak out of turn.

"While it is true that he was quite the delinquent, there was a drastic turn around the age of 12. Jake has then started to excel in his studies, and it was known by some of the classmates that he did not just make efforts to be on friendly terms with others, but protected them as well."

That turned the tide later, but there was still some sort of confusion. Generally, the crowd had died down to listen to what the judge had to say on this matter. He looked over at Eishi.

"We are here to determine the fate of the both of you. This is actually a very unusual situation you two are in, but the first decision is either to send you both to jail for life, or, to immediately employ you to the Recon Corps."

Eishi and Jake stared at the judge, their gazes widened in disbelief.

Their representative ended up speaking again. "We have received the offer on a short notice, after some evidence that they discovered. Apparently, there were faint imprints of giant footsteps on the blood, suggesting that the three of them have encountered a titan. And for them to survive, it makes them eligible to receive military training, specifically so that they will then be transferred to the field. Also, it is quite easy to note that both these men are actually quite adept in combat compared to their classmates, according to testimony by some of their instructors."

And true enough, their fencing instructor stood in the audience. "It is true," he said, in a somewhat strained tone. He seemed nervous to be in front of an audience at the moment, and his gaze seemed to dart towards the military police. "Jake is my best student."

The other representative for Charlen started to speak up in an offended tone. "Your honor, there is no way for it to be a good idea to send two criminals suspected of killing a human out there."

"Blasphemy!" Said the man from the wall. "Only the great walls erected by the goddess can protect us. No unholy beast can pass - "

With the rapid lowering of a mallet, the man was silenced as the Judge cast a steely gaze upon him. He looked over at Eishi just then.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked.

All eyes were on him, and he simply felt the glares around the room as if the very decision rested from what he explained. Even Jake seemed to want to nudge him to say the right thing, as he silently mouthed the words 'tell the truth'.

He simply looked to the judge and said. "Nothing, your honor. I cannot excuse what I have done, and will take whatever punishment is given to me."

The judge looked over at him for a long while, and then sighed. "They will spend the night in a jail cell, but the evidence of a possible rogue titan cannot be overlooked. With advanced supervision from a member of the Recon Corps, they are to be trained and then sent there immediately. If at any point the supervisor reports that their skills are inadequate, they will be sent to jail without bail for life."

* * *

Both of them sat together in the corner of the jail cell. They had been sent to a room that was separate from the actual jail cell where the other criminals would gather. Eishi suspected that it was his father's doing that kept them from any actual harm for the moment, because it didn't really seem as if they were truly serving a punishment just yet. This was only true for him, however, because Jake on the other hand didn't seem one bit enthused, and treated the situation as if he had been given a death sentence.

There was a knock upon the metal gate, and Eishi looked up to see one of the officers over there. Audrey was standing behind it, her missing hand wrapped up in bandages as well. Eishi was beginning to think that he was getting too used to seeing tragedy, even for the standards of an adopted kid.

She walked over to them, and nodded over to the guard with a smile, before he left to give them some private moment.

"I wanted to submit my testimony to the court," she said. "But I couldn't."

Eishi simply shook his head. "You were passed out, and I'm pretty sure you told them what you could have." He looked over to Audrey and placed a hand on her shoulder. "How are you healing?"

She glanced down at his hand, and then looked to the floor. "I am fine for now," she said. "But I have decided not to divulge my reasons for defending you. I told them I saw the titan, but that wasn't the one who tried to murder me."

He grimaced, as he was pretty sure by now what had happened. "Charlen," he said finally. "You're going to go after him?"

Audrey wouldn't say anything for that moment, and her own string of silence seemed to filter to the room. "I have to get us out of this mess," she said after biting her lip. "But if I try now then I'm sure it will be all over for us. I will graduate soon, and after I become a detective, I will be able to officially investigate. Until then, you two will have to do whatever can be done."

It was then that Jake spoke up. "What can be done?" he asked hollowly. "We were faced with a titan and we couldn't do a thing." He seemed somewhat shaken, and Eishi heard something watery beneath his voice, as if it were on the verge of breaking.

He reached out and placed a hand on Jake's shoulder, before saying in as calm a voice he could manage. "We'll be fine Jake. You have to believe me this time."

"I don't know what to believe right now," Jake responded, but he didn't look at his brother. "I know that logic is on our side, but I still feel like I'm going insane."

His grip tightened over the other lightly, squeezing in a reassuring but firm manner. "Don't believe anything," he said simply. "Who knows what could have happened? But for me, I've actually thought a great deal about this. So I'll get the both of us through it."

They didn't relax just yet, but Eishi had been rather certain for that moment and had made up his mind on what to do. _This time, I'll protect you. Brother._


	6. Silent Staring Contest

Training turned out to help others with practical things, without giving either of them experience that Eishi had faced back when they were up against a real titan. But what it did right was to teach him how to use the 3d maneuver gear. He'd recognized it the moment that he saw it, and since then he would think of Levi, wondering what he was up to down in the slums. He probably had a good idea of how he acquired the gear illegally, as he was pretty well aware of the corruption in the military police, thanks to listening to Stan complain about it. He'd spoken to Eishi back then how he was better off in the Recon Corps. It was how he grew up to foster this idea that true honorable fighting pitted someone up against true danger. While under his brother's protection, he ended up realizing that fighting was something that he inherently desired. It built up until this very day, but instead of anger, it was simply a way to prove that he could protect what he desired to keep safe.

Days passed and he noticed that Jake seemed to be warming up to the idea of going out there to fight creatures that were three times as tall as they were, but deep down inside, he wondered if there was another reason that he decided to go along with the sentence. _Do you really like to kill that much? _

He'd never spoken it out loud to the other, but he figured that if he did direct his anger at titans, then it would be for the better.

Before he knew it, the graduation ceremony happened. He showed up to witness the recruiters speaking, and saw firsthand the power that was Erwin Smith. This person, the leader of the recon corps was rumored to be responsible for every success that has been had so far, such as discovering the only weaknesses of the titans and verifying it. New research had given others hope, and it did help that the newer members of the project seemed to be more experienced at exactly what they were doing. All this gave him the feeling that humanity itself could survive, and that what he wanted to keep safe would remain so.

"Have you ever seen a titan up close?" Erwin asked the military students who were deciding on whether to become a military police or otherwise. "The recon corps has the job of handling them, and while it is true that many casualties exist in our force, it is all for the progress of humanity so that they may one day rise from the walls. We have just started to be successful in this. With the help of aspiring new members, we have made some progress in studying titans, as well as figuring out ways to avoid casualties when travelling abroad. In joining this group, you will be placing yourself in great danger, but also you will stand for hope. A lot of people will tell you that the hope is limited, and they could be right. But if they could be wrong, then there is a lot more to gain from it. For instance, have you ever wondered what would happen if the walls were to fall this day? Theoretically speaking of course, we as humans would we wiped out from the face of the planet, as if we never existed. That is why the recon corps exists. I started this group because I want the memory of humanity to prevail so that future generations can continue, but that is not the only thing. We have a goal in ensuring that the titans are no longer a threat to us, period. If you want to see for yourself what you could lose, then join the recon corps, because you might end up discovering how much there is to save."

He glanced to the side, and witnessed some of the people listening to Erwin. There was a blonde haired girl who seemed to be smiling particularly at Erwin's speech, and determination shone in her gaze, with some other faces of people who looked mildly serious or even amused.

No one spoke out of place when Erwin addressed the group, as his status was still of that to be respected, not simply for his position but also his charisma.

And then he saw them, spotted out in the crowd, standing off to the side and looking as if they would rather be elsewhere. Levi was standing next to Isabel, and looked to be listening to something that a blonde haired boy was saying next to him. When he caught Eishi's gaze, their eyes met for a second. The other showed no recognition of him, but his gaze lingered on him, matching as if to acknowledge that they had seen him before he returned to look over at Farland, and then over to Erwin.

He decided then and there that he would wait until after the meeting was over before approaching them. There were graduates in the crowd already asking a few questions, trying to weigh in their mind whether they wanted to join, and he knew from this that the meeting was nearing it's end.

"Yes?" Erwin directed his gaze over to the blonde girl.

"How likely is it that you can successfully kill titans if you were to join the recon corps?" She asked.

The commander looked over to the girl and smiled as he seemed to take note of the way she seemed eager. "A lot of that depends on luck," he said to her. "But if you survive enough times, then it is very likely that you will be able to face the next one without problems."

Everyone fell silent after that, and filed out of the area, as the briefing had been done and they were given time to think on the matter. Eishi thought that the way Erwin made it sound was pretty good, and began to feel more hype on the issue than he did before, until he heard what Levi said.

"It's easy enough to boast about progress, and the skills of the recon corps. But when it comes to the reality of it, most of us will die."

"Don't say that! There's no way we can possibly go down if they went through all that trouble to recruit us," Isabel piped up. "We'll get through this job for sure, right Farland?"

The blonde haired boy smirked over at the considerably grumpy man. "That isn't like you, Levi. Are you worried for the death count?"

He simply closed his eyes and let out a sigh in response. "His nice guy attitude is seriously misleading," he simply stated, and then darted his gaze over at Eishi who was eavesdropping. "Are you just going to stand over there like that?"

It was then that he realized that all the people had left the meeting, and he was practically alone with the three of them in the ceremonial area. He chuckled, raising a hand to hold the back of his head as he walked over.

"I just didn't think I would see you again," he said to Levi, and then looked over to Isabel. "How is he doing? Keeping out of injuries and hospital bills?"

Isabel grimaced. "Don't get smart on us. That was only a one time thing."

Farland had to agree with that. "We can't really afford to survive on professional treatment."

"I know, I know," he stated in an easygoing manner. "But I really don't understand how you guys decided to join the recon corps."

"I could say the same for you," Levi responded. "I didn't picture you as the fighting type."

Eishi made a face and leant back in the air as he let out a sigh. It occurred to him that he could discuss to Levi what had happened, but he didn't want to reveal what had happened in front of the other two. Besides that, he figured that they would have already guessed, granted that Levi would have told them. But what was done was done in the past, and as long as he had earned the right to fight, then he wasn't going to question it. "No one does until it's too late, but to be honest, I've just graduated from training myself."

"You're just in time to fight with us then," Isabel stated, adopting her own relaxed pose with elbows out in the air behind her neck.

Eishi looked at them and gaped. "Really?" he asked, sounding disbelieving for a moment.

Farland nodded. "We're heading over there directly, and bypassed the training. And from what I've seen from some of the classes in that area, it looks like I could help them out a bit."

He started to grin slowly, before turning away to hide the mischievous look over his expression. It was exciting to think that he would be able to show his friends someone like Levi. "Sounds like a party then! I'll look for you in our first mission tomorrow."

Isabel rolled her eyes. "You better not hold us back," she warned.

"The new enrollees have not even started their first mission yet," Levi said, his eyes narrowed over to the grinning one. "How do you even know what will happen?"

"People talk," Eishi said. "It's the usual deal when you start actually. They send you out pretty soon when a mission objective is available."

He was interrupted by a friend of his by then who had been looking for him around the ceremony area, informing him of the curfew time. Eishi abided by all the rules of his training without fail, so he promptly bid goodbye to the three and left for the night.

They were staying nearby the room of the three that Eishi had seen that one fateful day at the graduating ceremony. He was bunked with his brother, and it was a first come first serve basis on how the rooms were alotted. At this time in the night, Jake was still awake, poring over letters that Audrey had written. It was unusually easy to think that his brother was just innocent with such a worried and concerned expression on his face. He lay down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to count the spots and dots that he saw there, but every now and then he would turn to glance at the other. The movement of paper was pretty faint, a small pen knife being used to cut open the contents, as one was pulled out after another. Audrey was not a huge talker. So far, Eishi figured that her letters actually sounded like military reports. She informed them about their mother and father and the state of the nobles.

_A huge uproar at the south corridor of this building. Two students fistfought over your names, one insisting that you deserved what had happened. Your mother and father are distraught with worry. Lots of tissues were purchased on the day of your enrollment. The room you guys are in has been preserved and cleaned daily for your return. Officials show up at your father's doorstep all day. Almost all of them seem to have developed greying hair. Charlen has convinced people at the Walls to bless your family. Be careful if he gets involved too deeply._

This was how the first letter sounded, to which Jake kept at the table. Other people in the bunk space left them alone, and did not ask questions when the table was delivered that day, but only because everyone in the area left them alone when it came to money matters. It was easy to see why Jake could afford a desk in this room, whether he needed it or not. There was a lock in the drawer and he was the only one who had the key to it. He probably kept his diary in there too, seeing as it was only one of the few resources in which they could keep private things in.

"So, what is she talking about now?" he asked his brother, finally just keeping his gaze point blank in his direction.

"The amount of love letters that have been spotted being written to us," he said. "And details of every person spotted writing it. She has a keen eye on detail, as usual."

He nearly fell out of his bed at that. It was around that time when people thought of love matters, things that seemed so far away now that they were going to be soldiers fighting titans. Still, it wasn't hard to notice the blush on his face, as he wondered exactly where those letters had gone. It wasn't out of the ordinary to receive them because, naturally, good looking and rich guys would have at least a handful of admirers. The problem came when you were suddenly enlisted (forcefully) into the recon corps, a division of the army where even a peasant can turn down their nose upon you. So likely, those letters would never be sent.

In the moment of awkwardness that suddenly resided over them, and it seemed that Jake was not going to describe the contents of the letter, anyway, he simply glanced over to the doorway. "It's a pretty nice sort of luxury we have here," he stated. "Do you think you're ready to go out there again? This could be our last day any day now."

A loud slam of the drawer signalled the ending of the reading, and Jake screeched back from his chair, before standing. "I thought so too," he said. "But I think there is a way that we can heighten our chance for survival."

This statement caused him to look back at his brother, who was now pacing back and forth from one end of the room to another. "A lot of it will require the proper skills, but I think we should form a strategy as well. Death comes in the form usually of aberrants. A lot of the titans seem to have varying differences, based on what we saw from one of our fellow soldiers' sacrifices. This lead me to thinking that some of them will actually behave unpredictably as a similar way of humans. If you pictured then, one of us being rather tall and giant, then you can figure that what they are doing is like a form of punching when they reach out and grab at us, and the way that they are attacking us from behind is like swiping at a fly buzzing around their head."

The pacing finally stopped, leaving Eishi smirking as he watched his brother. "Just let me in on the fun already."

*Levi's POV*

I was standing down the hallway at some point, but before I knew it, I was back at that same point, staring at the sky. We've seen it a lot down in the gutters, surrounded by filth, concrete floors which were unsanitized due to the years in which gutter rats like us would be forced to live in. I could understand a little bit, while sitting on the rooftops, with the stars almost within my reach, why Farland preferred to stay out of trouble. At first, I thought it was a pretty shitty deal. I was a bit hotheaded at that time, having heard of that Erwin this and Erwin that from all the other students, and it was getting to me. I was pretty used to getting my way with my skills, so having someone beat my face into the water, and then threatening to kill my friends while making me work for him kind of stabbed me right where it hurt when it came to honor.

I started getting used to it, and held in my urges. It was pretty easy, because nobody seemed to be able to tell the difference. I just thought that I'd trust Farland and everything seemed a little more easier to get through.

The stars looked more far off tonight than usual, but that was the last thing on my mind. Someone had been watching me. I couldn't tell who it was, but this person was pretty good at hiding themselves. I don't think any of the people down in the slums could follow me this far and that was as far as my social life went region wise. As for the military police? Well, they really didn't show up in this area. Unless some of them grew a spine and practiced a lot, I don't think they could pull off whatever this person was doing right now, and that was somehow evading my senses while stalking me.

I heard the footsteps walk up, more certain, slightly hesitant as if there was something they were guilty of. I smirked to myself and reached to my side.

Just as a hand was placed on my shoulder, I had a dagger pointed straight at their neck. I narrowed my eyes into slits as I saw who it was. "You. What do you want?"

Eishi's brother Jake, stood over there, looking a bit shocked at my speed and I felt a bit smug as I saw his face pale as if he'd seen some sort of unusually gruesome looking titan. This guy naturally had the demeanor and look as if he would turn up his nose at everyone around him. It was just a bit funny to see him unsure of himself, not that I was really one to complain about it.

We haven't spoken a word to each other since we were there, but I did notice that he refused to say anything. I hardly saw him much, it was as brief as a once a month occasion and I hoped to keep it that way.

He pursed his lips, the noble brat looking as if he had been insulted. Well no shit, if you're going to creep up on me and I don't know you, you're not going to get the best of welcomes.

"I came here to apologize," he started.

I raised an eyebrow. "For what? Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment but we're pretty much strangers."

He just looked at me for a long while, as if he were thinking of what to say. "For underestimating you and thinking that you were just someone who belonged in the gutter. I didn't mean to tell you this, but since we're going to be working together tomorrow, I figured I'd get it out of the way."

I didn't know whether to be insulted or amused, so I just didn't say anything. We stared at each other like that, locked in a match of some sort. At some point I figured that he was actually not trying to look down on me, and I turned away, looking back at the stars.

Footsteps signalled that he was walking off, and I went back to sitting on the roof.


End file.
